This turned out to be a fast paced thriller. The prose is crisp and clean–like Switzerland.

Anyone who’s been to Switzerland can relate to Silva’s description of the Swiss landscape from a geographic and cultural perspective. More importantly, Silva elucidates the “neutral” relationship that Switzerland had with Nazi germany. It’s fairly common knowledge that neutrality during WW2 often meant backroom dealings with the Nazis, not just in Switzerland, but other countries as well. This is a book that holds no punches in its accusation of the immorality of Swiss involvement in the war.

I couldn’t wait to finish this book–so that I could move on to a different one.

It’s a banal account of first contact between humans and extraterrestrials. The characters are cliched and unexciting. The story plods on to an ending where the main character makes a decision that is vaguely supported by any previous thoughts or actions.

I guess everyone’s a critic. But I am happy to voyage away from this book myself.

This is a novella written under Nora Roberts’ pseudonym, J. D. Robb. It’s part of a series of books which I haven’t previously read. Actually, I’ve never read Nora Roberts before.

The story is mild Sci-Fi and is a fast paced, entertaining hunt for a psycho serial killer. There’s a background love story and a couple of comic-booky but humorous supporting characters.

The book is a quick read because it’s only 90 pages long.

I’m not sure why this is happening, but the powers that be, are probably trying to send me a message. I’m not all that religious, yet the last few books I’ve read have really touched on Faith and Belief.

This book paints a somewhat depressing view of violence in our society and how we are fighting a losing battle against it. The manner in which we interact with others has degenerated over the last few decades and has led to us not caring about anything but ourselves. This has produced a downward spiral of morality–and provides opportunity for those with real evil in their hearts to thrive. The good in ourselves is sometimes no longer enough for us to survive in this changing world.

The book is gory, which is down my alley, but it still does lead you down the path of introspection for sure.

Just finished the third book in the Ender Wiggins trilogy by Orson Scott Card.

A major theme in this book was that of the role of belief in our lives. Card shows how blind belief or faith in god can leave us ignorant of greater truths and how we develop mechanisms of ignorance to reinforce some of these beliefs. Belief in ourselves and the ability to evolve and modify those beliefs allows us to grow within the context of the world around us–which is ever changing and contains an infinite number of unanswered questions.

Of course the science fiction in the book was decently thought out also. In addition, the majority of the story is portrayed via conversations between the characters–a tough thing to write.